This verse is about those people, who are miserly
from spending in the path of Allah Almighty themselves and wish to keep off other
people too from this goodness. Particularly those children of Israel, in whose
Scripture ‘Torah’ the glad tidings about the Last Messenger Muhammad (grace,
glory, blessings and peace of Allah Almighty be upon him)were existent, and the
verses were mentioned about the truth of Islam, but they used to hide them.

It was told in the previous verse, that the
people who are proud and boastful on their wealth, Allah Almighty should never
like them. Now it has been commanded that these are the characteristics of such
people who are niggard. They spend nothing in the way of Allah Almighty, nor give
any advantage to the others. Allah Almighty bestowed them knowledge and wealth
but they hide it from other people. They persuade the people for avarice with
their tongues as well as their actions. Allah Almighty says, “For disbelievers we
have prepared a shameful doom.”

These are also peculiarities of the proud people
that they spend their wealth only in order to be seen of men and for cheating,
that is to say; they are stingy for spending in the way of Allah Almighty, and they
bid the people to be miserly for this purpose. However, certainly they spend
their wealth in order to be seen of men. Neither those people believe in Allah
Almighty nor do they have any faith in the Last Day (the Day of Resurrection). That
is why they do not spend their wealth in order to get the pleasure of Allah
Almighty and for the purpose of reward. However, they just want to show others
their goodness.

The favorite and accepted manner near Allah
Almighty is to perform the rights of human beings, and aim of spending the wealth
should be to get His pleasure, and have hope for reward in the Hereafter. Only
those people who are possessed by the devil, do the acts of insincerity and
public show.

Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’an published By Idara Islah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated
Urdu to English by Muhammad Sharif).